This small but quaint Chicago rooftop allows the family to enjoy the outdoors in the city. With ample shade, a dinning area, play area for the kids, a kitchen and a small garden to grow some veggies/herbs in. Photos by: Don Maldonado

Photography by Laura Hull.
Example of a small transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor home office design in Los Angeles with blue walls

Large transitional backyard deck photo in Phoenix with a roof extension

A Marquis Spa makes this deck a place to escape. Photo Credit: Crystal French
Mid-sized mountain style backyard patio photo in Other with decking and an awning

Example of a mid-sized trendy backyard decomposed granite patio design in Atlanta with a gazebo

Mid-sized elegant screened-in front porch photo in Charleston with decking and a roof extension

Pool - large modern custom-shaped pool idea in Other with decking

Example of a mid-sized classic sunroom design in Philadelphia

Photo: Lucy Call © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a contemporary patio remodel in Salt Lake City

Designed using Trex Transcend decking in Spiced Rum – a warm, earthy umber featuring subtle shading and natural shade variations creating distinctive hardwood-like streaking and intense, tropical hues that will retain its lush looks for decades and Vintage Lantern – a deep-burnished bronze with Old World elegance. Additional Trex products featured include Trex Transcend railing and Trex Outdoor Lighting – recessed deck lights.

The owners of this property had been away from the Bay Area for many years, and looked forward to returning to an elegant mid-century modern house. The one they bought was anything but that. Faced with a “remuddled” kitchen from one decade, a haphazard bedroom / family room addition from another, and an otherwise disjointed and generally run-down mid-century modern house, the owners asked Klopf Architecture and Envision Landscape Studio to re-imagine this house and property as a unified, flowing, sophisticated, warm, modern indoor / outdoor living space for a family of five. Opening up the spaces internally and from inside to out was the first order of business. The formerly disjointed eat-in kitchen with 7 foot high ceilings were opened up to the living room, re-oriented, and replaced with a spacious cook's kitchen complete with a row of skylights bringing light into the space. Adjacent the living room wall was completely opened up with La Cantina folding door system, connecting the interior living space to a new wood deck that acts as a continuation of the wood floor. People can flow from kitchen to the living / dining room and the deck seamlessly, making the main entertainment space feel at once unified and complete, and at the same time open and limitless. Klopf opened up the bedroom with a large sliding panel, and turned what was once a large walk-in closet into an office area, again with a large sliding panel. The master bathroom has high windows all along one wall to bring in light, and a large wet room area for the shower and tub. The dark, solid roof structure over the patio was replaced with an open trellis that allows plenty of light, brightening the new deck area as well as the interior of the house. All the materials of the house were replaced, apart from the framing and the ceiling boards. This allowed Klopf to unify the materials from space to space, running the same wood flooring throughout, using the same paint colors, and generally creating a consistent look from room to room. Located in Lafayette, CA this remodeled single-family house is 3,363 square foot, 4 bedroom, and 3.5 bathroom. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Jackie Detamore, and Jeffrey Prose Landscape Design: Envision Landscape Studio Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineers Contractor: Kasten Builders Photography ©2015 Mariko Reed Staging: The Design Shop Location: Lafayette, CA Year completed: 2014

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard patio remodel in Seattle with a roof extension and decking

Sturdy awning systems allow the awnings to be rolled up tightly when they are not needed and deployed easily with a remote control. Sun and wind sensors are also available to automatically deploy your retractable awning when the sun hits that side of the home or to retract an open awning with wind speeds exceed a certain threshold.

Day shot. Clean minimal and modern.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary rooftop outdoor kitchen deck remodel in Chicago with an awning

This pressure-treated wood deck features a lovely shade cover with wood railings and black balusters for a balancing contrast. The shade cover features a ceiling fan to keep the air from being too still.

Mountain style deck photo in Atlanta

In this deck design project, located in the University Village neighborhood in Chicago, we enhanced the client’s existing deck with lots of exciting new features. The deck includes a new custom-built pergola, custom lattice work, custom-built benches, planters and a watering system.

Deck - transitional deck idea in Los Angeles with no cover

Homeowner had been considering construction of a pergola for quite some time, but was reluctant to do so due to lack of rain protection. Although there are several pergola kit retrofit products that meet most of their goals, none of them were a good fit by matching all. The desire was for a retractable patio awning that aesthetically matched a pergola, but was retractable, and provided protection from both UV and inclement weather on their south facing patio. Part of the goal was to provide a flexible outdoor entertaining area, but also to integrate a front drop shade to help reduce the summer's afternoon sun from entering the space; as well as the bay window and sliding doors. The "Gennius", a waterproof retractable awning by Durasol Awnings was selected by the homeowner for aesthetics and function, with a solar screen drop shade integrated between the upright support posts. As young parents, it was of utmost importance to find a durable fabric for the drop shade that not only blocked an adequate amount of sun, but retained as much view of the pool for safety when deployed. Mermet brand Natte was chosen for the drop shade. Both the retracting fabric roof and the integrated drop shade are operated by radio controlled motors and hand-held remote control. The homeowner now has complete control of the area, with on-demand protection to suit their tastes.